County disappointed with state regarding falsified data
Published on December 04, 2024
On Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, a letter was sent to the state’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC; formerly called the state’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission), expressing the county’s severe disappointment in the withholding of information regarding falsified data relating to oil and gas well remediation.
“The state had information about incorrect data in July; information directly related to facilities in Weld County,” said Weld County Commissioner Chair Kevin Ross. “And they didn’t say a word until last week — that’s a problem.”
On Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, Weld County Oil and Gas Energy Department (OGED) Director Jason Maxey received notification of an emergency ECMC meeting the following day regarding falsified information related to oil and gas site remediation.
“That was the first and only notice the county received regarding this issue,” said Maxey.
Maxey asked for more detailed information related to site locations (all of which are in Weld County) and chemical information. The ECMC has still not provided Weld County Government with that information.
In the letter sent Dec. 2 to ECMC Director Julie Murphey, incoming Weld County OGED Director Brett Cavanagh requested a copy of:
- All data integrity notifications received by the ECMC regarding incorrect information submitted to the commission … from 2021 to 2024.
- Spreadsheets, tables or lists that describe the locations that are affected by the incorrect information as well as what the discrepancy is.
- Any analysis performed on potential negative health impacts or additional remediation measures required …
Cavanagh also stated in the letter that the withholding of information from the county “makes a mockery of the dual regulatory authority and protective responsibilities of ECMC and local governments over oil and gas activities.”
Read the full letter sent to the ECMC(PDF, 828KB).